Take a walk around the main concourse at any Walleye game and you’ll see it. Sometimes sharp and classy, sometimes wild and wacky—the hockey jersey can instantly take you back to those moments of old. One Toledoan is making sure those parts of history are not forgotten.
David B. Hamilton founded Toledo Retro Hockey in March, 2013 after searching for classic Goaldigger memorabilia online. When that search was not productive, David took it upon himself to start a company to produce the relics.
“Eventually I was able to get in contact with the owner of the trademark,” Hamilton remembers, “and we started discussing a licensing agreement. Amazingly, I was able to accomplish something that others had tried to do over the last several years. I had a license to legally produce and sell Toledo Goaldiggers items! The big question: would anyone care?”
Fans cared. Toledo Retro Hockey’s Facebook page has nearly 1,500 fans, and continues to grow, since launching last summer. The website, which functions as an online store, also serves as a home for dozens of images depicting Toledo’s gritty and glorious hockey history.
“Our goal with the website is to create a historical platform for fans to reminisce and learn about the great Toledo teams from our past,” Hamilton says. “We have a long way to go in fulfilling that vision; however, we are off to a good start. If fans of vintage hockey continue to support us by buying our products we will be able to slowly build the site into a great historical destination to learn about Toledo’s hockey past.”
Based on the site’s early appeal that shouldn’t be a problem. Visit toledoretrohockey.com for hats, t-shirts, hoodies and authentic jerseys. Sales of Goaldigger gear are steady and, curiously, not strictly from this region.
“To date, surprisingly, we have sent orders to 18 states,” David claims. “However about 70% of our orders originate from Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. We had a strong holiday season which was very encouraging! We hope to continue the momentum in 2014.”
There’s no denying Toledo and professional hockey go hand-in-hand. Toledo Retro Hockey is helping to keep the memories alive.
419-215-7145. toledoretrohockey.com